In many of today's home and small office multimedia networks, there often exists a variety of possible multimedia sources, such as discrete input and output audio/video or consumer electronics devices, along with possible streaming sources from a personal computer, a cable or DSL modem, or some other multimedia device that is connected to an ad-hoc, packet based network such as Ethernet or USB. There are many applications where it is desirable to set up a multimedia network or networks throughout a home or small office that can accomplish multimedia distribution and synchronization applications. One possible application could be the ability to send a multimedia stream from an internet source through an existing audio/video system, where there may be one or more speakers that are not directly connected, but may be connected through a powerline communication (PLC) network, such as with rear speaker extension applications. Other possible applications could distribute synchronized audio signals to one or more pair of remote speakers, or to speakers located through a home or small office for a whole house/office audio system.
It would be desirable to deliver multimedia content within the housing structures (residential and commercial) while minimizing the latency and improving the reliability of such delivery. It is also helpful to minimize the cost of the installation as well as assure that the performance of the multimedia content delivery platforms is independent from the location within the building structure. It would be further desirable to synchronize the streamed multimedia content to ensure the timely delivery of data when multiple types of networks are used for transport. Conventional powerline communication technologies have made progress with ease of installation and predictability of coverage. Unfortunately, requirements related to media synchronization are still unanswered.